This is a great time to be a student in Saskatchewan. Our province is growing and is full of options for post-secondary education and opportunities for employment.
Our post-secondary institutions offer a variety of training programs to prepare students for a career in our rapidly growing labour market.
With the remarkable growth our province is experiencing, we are seeing a number of employment opportunities, specifically in the skilled trades industries. To sustain our economic growth, we need to ensure we have a skilled workforce to meet existing and future labour market demand.
This is why efforts to develop, attract and retain workers are among the key economic priorities in the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth. The growth plan has a target of adding 60,000 more people to our workforce by 2020. To meet this goal, we need to ensure our post-secondary students are receiving the training needed to find a career in our growing labour market.
This is where our Regional Colleges come in. Our seven Regional Colleges, plus Lakeland College, operate in 33 communities across the province. They are the primary delivery agents of post-secondary education and training throughout rural and northern Saskatchewan. They offer a wide range of courses and skills training. As a result, students will be well prepared for their careers once they finish their studies. They also offer students the opportunity to study closer to home, helping to make the transition from learning to earning increasingly smooth.
If you have completed your grade 12 education and are interested in a career in the skilled trades or wish to study at one of our Regional Colleges, we invite you to apply directly for your training.
If you have not completed grade 12, our Regional Colleges, among other institutions like SIAST, also offer Adult Basic Education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED) to obtain the equivalent of a grade 12 standing. Students can move from these programs to other post-secondary training or additional career options.
With the variety of training programs at our Regional Colleges and the multitude of job opportunities across the province, never before has there been a stronger link between learning and earning in Saskatchewan.
Our Government is also making it easier for more students to access post-secondary education. We have done this through enhancements to Saskatchewan's Student Financial Assistance program, scholarships and bursaries, including the new Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunity Scholarship and the Saskatchewan Advantage Scholarship.
Since 2008, we have invested $4.6B in our post-secondary institutions and students. These supports include up to a $20,000 non-refundable tax credit for graduates who work in Saskatchewan through the Graduate Retention Program (GRP).
Our Government is pleased to support our Regional Colleges and we look forward to continuing to work with them to foster and facilitate high quality education for our learners.
